WASHINGTON (AP)
- The State Department said Monday that President RobertMugabe's Zimbabwean
government has engaged in "a continuing pattern ofharassment" of political
opponents leading up to local elections during
theweekend.

Spokesman Richard Boucher cited reports of
violence and unlawfulintimidation of members of the opposition
party.

He said five opposition youth leaders were arrested last Thursday
and remainin detention, although no charges have been filed.

"If the
reports of beating and torture of the youth leaders are true, thatwould
constitute a serious human rights violation and another indication
ofcontinuing degradation of the rule of law in Zimbabwe," Boucher
said.

JOHANNESBURG - South Africa, while
pledging to avoid the violence andlawlessness over land reform in
neighboring Zimbabwe, nevertheless isthreatening to forcibly transfer
white-owned farms to landless blacks. The government
says land reform must move more quickly if it is to meetits target of
redistributing 30 percent of the country's commercialfarmland - most of
which is owned by the country's white minority - toblacks by
2015. The land ministry, however, has reiterated
promises that reform willtake place within the law, unlike in Zimbabwe,
where vigilante groups andgovernment forces have seized nearly 3,000
white-owned farms withoutcompensation. "If the
process of negotiations fails irrevocably, then we have theoption of
invoking the right of the state to expropriate land in the publicinterest,"
Gilingwe Mayende, director-general for land affairs, has told theSouth
African Business Report. "Property rights are
protected by our constitution, but theconstitution says these property
rights must be balanced against the publicinterest and the nation's
commitment to land reform." In Zimbabwe, thousands
of white farmers have been driven from theirland, and millions of people
face starvation as a drop in commercialagricultural production is compounded
by a severe drought. As in Zimbabwe, the vast
majority of South Africa's most productivefarmland is
white-owned. According to government estimates, 87
percent of commercial land isowned by whites and 13 percent by blacks. The
country's largest farmingunion disputes those figures, saying about 60
percent of the country'sfarmland is commercial property owned by
whites. An estimated 3.5 million black South
Africans were driven from theirhomes during the 46 years of apartheid, or
racial separation. Voluntary attempts to
redistribute land since the end of apartheid haveyielded poor
results. Little of the 4 percent to 6 percent of
agricultural land placed on themarket each year has been purchased by
blacks. Also, fewer than half theclaims for restitution have been settled,
most of those in cash rather thana transfer of
landownership. The nation's largest farming union,
Agri South Africa, which representsabout 40,000 mainly white commercial
farmers and about 30,000 smaller-scaleblack farmers, says the biggest
problem is the scarcity of blacks willing tobecome commercial
farmers. "The whole feeder process of finding and
training the right candidatesis going to take time," said Jack Raath,
chairman of Agri South Africa. "If you just want to
transfer land and not have any development, that'seasy. But experience has
shown that you have to have the right beneficiariesif you want to maintain
competitiveness and profitability." But critics of
the South African program say the government must bemore proactive about
acquiring land. Without faster movement on land issues,they warn, farm
invasions could begin. "We think we need to revisit
the fundamentals of land reform in thiscountry, especially the
willing-seller, willing-buyer ideology," said ZakesHlatshweyo, chairman of
the National Land Committee, a South African landlobby
group. "After eight years of democratic rule and
social transformation, verylittle has happened insofar as the transfer of
land is concerned," Mr.Hlatshweyo said. Mr.
Hlatshweyo's organization says that at the current pace ofpurchasing land
for redistribution, it would take at least 215 years to meetthe government's
stated target of 30 percent black ownership. Along
with other groups operating under the banner of the LandlessPeople's
Movement, the lobbyists have threatened to begin invading unusedpublic and
private land if reform continues to drag. To date,
however, law-enforcement officials have dealt swiftly withillegal attempts
to occupy land in South Africa. Only once in the
country's post-apartheid history has the governmenttried to force the sale
of farmland. In that case, a farmer refused agovernment offer to purchase
his property after a special commission ruledthat the land had been taken
illegally from black owners during apartheid.

QUESTION: On that point, any new ICC
deals, Article 98 agreements,since? Are you still at 12, or have you managed
to get another one?

MR. BOUCHER: I'm not aware of any new ones today, but
there are alwaysnumerous negotiations underway.

QUESTION: No, no,
I've got a couple. I've got two election questions.You didn't seem to think
that Zimbabwe was going to have a very decentlocal election. You said the
prospects for it being free and fair were"dismal" on Friday. I'm wondering
if that is still -- were they"dismal" elections? And yes, I'm going to ask
about Morocco.

MR. BOUCHER: Well, we've not yet seen definitive results
for theweekend's election. But we note a number of incidents -- Sunday,
amember of Parliament from the opposition was arrested for refusing
tovacate his farm; he remains in detention. Last Thursday,
fiveopposition youth leaders were arrested; they remain in
detention,although no charges have been filed.

We think there is a
continuing pattern of harassment by Zimbabweauthorities against political
opposition and its leadership. Theseincidents increased in frequency leading
up to the elections on the28th and 29th of September. They appear to be
further attempts atviolence and unlawful intimidation of members of the
opposition party.

If the reports of the beating and torture of the youth
leaders aretrue, that would constitute a serious human rights violation,
andanother indication of the continuing degradation of the rule of law
inZimbabwe.

As I noted, the Government of Zimbabwe, we think, did not
take thenecessary steps to ensure conditions for a fair and
credibledemocratic election, and failed to ensure that all parties
andcandidates were able to participate; to condemn and
punishelection-related violence; and to follow transparent and
equitableregistration procedures for all candidates. So that's the way
itturned out.

BLACKPOOL, England
- Britain pledged an extra seven million pounds($11 million) yesterday to
support efforts to end years of armed conflict infour African
countries.

International Development
Secretary Clare Short told the ruling LabourParty's annual conference that
the money would fund "relief andrehabilitation to help drive forward the
peace in Angola, (DemocraticRepublic of) Congo, Sudan and
Rwanda". The sum was in addition to 29 million
pounds Britain already committedto Angola, the Democratic Republic of Congo
and Sudan, officials said.

Short said
Britain sent a team of six humanitarian specialists tosouthern Africa to
help tackle a growing regional food
crisis.

It was also funding restoration of
a rail link into landlocked Malawi,one of the six countries facing the most
severe food shortages, to allow theshipment of an extra 10,000 tonnes of
food a month, she added.

British officials
said more than a quarter of Malawi's population willneed food aid by next
March and the improved rail link is essential to U.N.World Food Programme
efforts to get supplies to those in need.

Short said Britain was funding feeding programmes for 1.3 millionpeople in
Zimbabwe, where she said farm seizures approved by PresidentRobert Mugabe
had brought ruin.

"There is serious
drought in southern Africa. And I am very fearfulthat the disastrous
policies of the Mugabe regime have exacerbated thedrought and are likely to
turn a natural disaster into a terrible humancatastrophe," she
said.

The United Nations said this month
that more than 14 million peopleface starvation in southern Africa where
drought, HIV-AIDS and politics areblamed for the region's worst food crisis
in a decade.

Southern
African ministers meeting in Angola said on Monday they willdeliver a stern
message to Zimbabwe to resolve a crisis threatening investorconfidence in
the region.

Foreign and trade ministers from the Southern African
Development Community(SADC) are holding two days of talks before their
leaders arrive for asummit tomorrow.

Zimbabwean President Robert
Mugabe's land policies and his disputedre-election in March are not on the
agenda, but ministers say they willstill raise concerns.

"We have to
resolve the governance issue. We cannot be punished for themistakes of one
country - Zimbabwe," Mauritian minister Anil Gayan said.

SADC has
criticised Mugabe's seizure of white-owned farms, which hasshattered
investor confidence in the region.

Meanwhile, in Zimbabwe five young
opposition members who appeared in aZimbabwe court yesterday charged with
public violence say they were torturedby police while in custody.

The
most severely tortured was a white 18-year-old member of the group,Thomas
Spicer, the opposition Movement for Democratic Change (MDC) said.

The MDC
said the group were arrested on Thursday and assaulted by police.Spicer
received electric shocks and was beaten on the soles of his feet.

Spicer,
whose fluency in Shona and popularity in the townships have made
himsomething of an MDC mascot, had to be helped into the dock by another
memberof the group.

The MDC said the five were denied access to their
lawyer.

"This is not an isolated incident," his father Newton Spicer told
reportersoutside the court. "Tom represents thousands of youths across the
countrywho've been abused in this way."

The five were bailed for Z$10
000 (U.S.$181) each.

In South Africa the Democratic Alliance said it
wants National AssemblySpeaker Dr Frene Ginwala to contact her counterpart
in Harare to urge him totake up the case of arrested MDC MP Roy Bennet with
Mugabe.

"Parliaments are the heart of any functioning democracy. We
cannot turn ablind eye to harassment of members of parliament by intolerant
governments,"DA MP Andries Botha said yesterday.

Bennet, his wife,
bodyguard, and a South African friend, were arrested atthe weekend for
supposedly contravening Zimbabwe's Land Acquisition Act.

Botha said the
charges are spurious.

"I am extremely concerned that this may be the
start of a campaign targetedat opposition MPs in Zimbabwe.

"Mugabe
has already told David Coulthard MP that the only place he belongsin
Zimbabwe is in jail."

Botha said he raised the issue in a letter to
Ginwala. Ginwala was notimmediately available for
comment.

HARARE, Zimbabwe (Reuters) -- President Robert Mugabe's
ruling party won themajority of seats in weekend council elections in
Zimbabwe, sealing its gripon its traditional rural power base, state radio
reported on Monday.

The main opposition Movement for Democratic Change
(MDC),

which won 12 of the seats announced by late on Monday, says 700 of
itscandidates were barred from registering or intimidated from running in
thepolls, in which 1,400 seats were up for grabs.

ZANU-PF's victory
was largely expected. "The ruling ZANU-PF party has takena commanding lead
in the just-ended local government elections, clinching 72of the 86 wards
announced so far," the state radio said.

On Sunday, the MDC said it had
received reports from various parts of thecountry showing ZANU-PF had
stepped up violence to prevent Zimbabweans fromvoting freely.

It said
Roy Bennett, an opposition legislator, and eight others, includinghis
bodyguard, had been detained.

But Police Assistant Commissioner Wayne
Bvudzijena said on Monday only threepeople were arrested and that they were
likely to appear in court on Tuesdaycharged with disrupting the election
process at a polling station.

He said Bennett would also face charges of
defying government orders tovacate his farm.

In Washington, State
Department spokesman Richard Boucher repeated the U.S.view that the
Zimbabwean government had not taken steps to ensure theelections were free
and fair.

"We think there's a continuing pattern of harassment by
Zimbabwe authoritiesagainst the political opposition and its leadership.
These incidentsincreased in frequency leading up to the elections," he told
a dailybriefing.

"The government ... failed to ensure that all
parties and candidates wereable to participate, to condemn and punish
election-related violence, and tofollow transparent and equitable
registration procedures for all thecandidates. So that's the way it turned
out," he said.

The MDC, which accuses Mugabe of stealing victory in a
presidential electionin March, said Mugabe had resorted to political
violence in the councilelections because he knew he would lose any free and
fair poll.

The ruling party dismissed the charges of intimidation as
lies.

Zimbabwe has been in turmoil since pro-government militants began
invadingwhite-owned farms in early 2000 in support of the government's drive
toredistribute the farms among landless blacks.

Mugabe, in power
since independence from Britain in 1980, says thecontroversial land reform
programme is aimed at correcting colonialinjustice, which left 70 percent of
the country's best land in the hands ofwhites who form less than one percent
of Zimbabwe's population.

The opposition says the land policies have
contributed to a severe foodshortage which is affecting nearly seven million
people, or half thepopulation. The government insists the shortages are
solely the result ofdrought.

----------------------------------------------------------------------------US says Zimbabwe elections were not free and
fair
October 01, 2002,
05:30

The United States yesterday decried weekend local elections inZimbabwe,
saying government harassment of opposition supporters andcandidates had
destroyed the credibility of the
vote.

"The government of Zimbabwe did not take the necessary steps toensure
conditions for a fair and credible, democratic election," RichardBoucher, a
state department spokesperson, said. "It failed to ensure thatall parties
and candidates were able to participate to condemn and
punishelection-related violence and to follow transparent and
equitableregistration procedures for all the candidates. That's the way it
turnedout."

Boucher, who had said the prospects for the elections beingfree, fair and
credible were "dismal", noted that harassment of theopposition had increased
ahead of weekend voting. He cited reports of anopposition member of
parliament being arrested Sunday and the arrestsThursday of five opposition
youth leaders, who were allegedly beaten andtortured. "They appear to be
further attempts at violence and unlawfulintimidation of members of the
opposition
party."

Zimbabwe's state radio has reported that President RobertMugabe's ruling
party had won the majority of seats in the local polls.Since just under half
the seats were uncontested in the two-day weekendpoll, the result is
unlikely to come as a surprise. The opposition Movementfor Democratic Change
(MDC) said 699 of its candidates had been barred fromregistering or
intimidated into not standing, effectively handing victory toMugabe's ruling
Zimbabwe African National Union-Patriotic Front (Zanu-PF) inhalf of all
wards.

The opposition filed a last minute bid to have the electionspostponed on the
basis of intimidation. The application was however thrownout by a High Court
judge. - Sapa-AFP

The United
States fully supports the African initiative called the NewPartnership for
Africa's Development (NEPAD) and is hopeful that it willmake a difference in
people's lives, US Assistant Secretary of State forAfrican Affairs has said.
Speaking at a press briefing at the foreign presscenter in New York,
Assistant Secretary Walter Kansteiner said: "There are alot of similarities
between NEPAD and president Bush's Millennium ChallengeAccount initiative."
The Millennium Challenge Account, highlighted byPresident Bush at the
Monterrey conference, will increase US directassistance 50% over a
three-year period.

Every year $5,000
million in new money will go to developing nationsthat are governed wisely
and fairly, that are strongly committed toinvesting in health and education,
and that follow economic policies thatencourage and spur
growth.

NEPAD was launched by the
Organization of African Unity, now theAfrican Union, at its summit in Lusaka
in 2001. The plan is a partnershipbetween African leaders and their people
and between states within Africabased on a commitment to good governance,
zero tolerance for corruption,democracy, sound management of the economy,
and conflict prevention. Inaddition, NEPAD calls for a new partnership
between Africa and theinternational community, especially the industrialized
countries.

Kansteiner pointed out that the
philosophies behind the MillenniumChallenge Account and NEPAD are similar. "
Good governance, delivery systemto the people-primary health care and
education and economic freedoms andliberties," he said. "So there is a lot
of crossover and a lot ofcommonality in the Millennium Challenge Account,
and that is why we takeNEPAD seriously and we are hopeful that it does more
than just talk, butthat there is implementation," the assistant secretary
said.

The General Assembly held a daylong
high-level meeting on NEPADSeptember 17 and in a resolution the body
expressed support for theinitiative and its goals of economic development,
peace and stability, goodgovernance, democracy, and respect for human
rights. The assembly hailed theplan because it is led, and managed by the
African Union.

"We welcome the commitment
of African countries to take effective andconcrete measures....through the
establishment of various institutions andmechanisms and the development of
strategies for the implementation of thenew partnership for Africa's
development. This commitment reflects therecognition that the primary
responsibility for the implementation of thepartnership rests with the
African governments and peoples," the
resolutionsaid.

Kansteiner pointed out
that a main difference between NEPAD andprevious plans for Africa is that
"the core of NEPAD's theology is a notionthat good governance is not only
expected, but good governance is going tobe required of African
governments".

"The implementation
component of that is the neighbors-other Africanstates-are going to expect
their colleagues to have good governance andpractice good governance," he
said.

The assistant secretary said that
Secretary of State Collin Powellbriefly mentioned Zimbabwe in his speech to
the session on Africa as "awarning" of what can happen. "We specifically
brought up Zimbabwe as....anexample of what happens when you don't pay
attention to good governance,when you don't pay attention to the issues
NEPAD is surrounding itself with.You end up with a failed country like
Zimbabwe," he said.

Kansteiner said
US-South African relations are "excellent" and werenot affected by former
South African President Nelson Mandela's criticismsof the US position on
Iraq.

He suggested that in light of
President Bush's General Assembly speechemphasizing US willingness to work
with the Security Council and theUN...which won the support of the
international community for the USposition, Mandela's position may have
changed.

President Bush met with Central
African leaders and the presidents ofSouth Africa, and the Democratic
Republic of Congo, and Powell also heldbilateral meetings with President
Paul Biya of Cameroon and PresidentOlusegun Obasanjo of Nigeria while
attending the General Assembly session.

The assistant secretary said that the United States looks forward toworking
with the African Countries on a wide range of issues from helpingGabon
establish national parks and protecting unique ecosystems throughoutAfrica
to fighting HIV/AIDS.

Australian Prime Minister
John Howard has said that Zimbabwe should be fullysuspended from the
Commonwealth.

As the situation currently stands, Robert Mugabe's regime
is suspended fromthe councils of the Commonwealth and full suspension would
be the next step.

Mr Howard, South African president Thabo Mbeki and
Nigeria's OlusegunObasanjo were asked by other Commonwealth leaders at their
summit inAustralia earlier this year to monitor the situation in Zimbabwe
andrecommend any further action.

But the three leaders - or "Troika",
as they are known - failed to agree onthe way forward.

Mr Howard
said: "I was arguing with the Troika we should move immediately tofully
suspend Zimbabwe from the Commonwealth because of the failure ofZimbabwe to
show any sensitivity at all to Commonwealth opinion."

"I'm concerned, if
we just remain mute and indifferent, that democraticgovernance, which is a
central Commonwealth value, will just go by theboard."

"I don't
believe that in a situation like this you should just have thelowest common
denominator as a position."

"I think there is widespread resentment
around the Commonwealth about howZimbabwe has behaved," he said.

With
the Troika failing to agree on action, Australia may choose to go italone
and impose sanctions against Zimbabwe, following the lead of theEuropean
Union and United States.

Mr Howard also disclosed that he had spoken to
Prime Minister, Tony Blairabout the issue and added: "We have to be
absolutely consistent andsteadfast in defending the democratic
principle."

AN urgent application for the
police to produce detained MDC MP RoyBennet was yesterday filed in the High
Court by his lawyer, Arnold Tsunga.

Bennet, the MP for Chimanimani was arrested on Sunday in
unclearcircumstances. Since his arrest,
Bennet's whereabouts and his condition were stillunknown by
yesterday.

Tsunga said: "The police have
frustrated all my efforts to representBennet. They have blatantly refused to
make him available and I do not knowwhether he is dead or alive. I have
filed an urgent application in the HighCourt for them to produce
him."

Bennet's wife, Heather, arrested
together with her husband but laterreleased, said an officer at Chimanimani
police station, whom she identifiedonly as Dhliwayo, informed her Bennet was
transferred to Middle Sabi
policestation.

But Zacharia Mutize,
the deputy provincial police spokesman, said hewas unaware of the MP's
whereabouts and referred all questions to hissenior, Edmund Maingire, the
provincial police spokesman.

Maingire was
not available yesterday.

Bennet was
arrested about 5km from his farm in Chimanimani togetherwith his wife and
two other people, Mike Makaza and Stewart Girvin,
aBriton.

Heather said she heard loud
screams from the area where Makaza wasbeing
detained.

Bennet has in the past resisted
several eviction attempts bygovernment officials to move him off his
Charleswood estate.

ANGLICAN Bishop Nolbert Kunonga
wants the leadership and choir of theCathedral of St Mary and All Saints in
Harare banned from attending servicesand visiting church buildings in the
Harare diocese.

He said they had allegedly
disrupted church services by joining otherparishioners in accusing him of
abusing his position by preaching pro-ZanuPF
sermons.

Kunonga has filed an application
in the civil magistrates' courts inHarare for a temporary order barring the
leadership and choir members fromdisrupting services and from visiting his
home in Chisipite.

Kunonga wants them prevented from
visiting his offices at Paget-Paxhouse, the Cathedral and its parking bay
and holding meetings, apart fromchurch
services. He wants Nhamo, a councillor,
ordered to surrender the keys to anumber of church
buildings.

Kunonga is seeking an order
directing the Standard Chartered BankZimbabwe Limited to freeze the account
opened by the church's wardens
andcouncillors.

In his founding
affidavit, Kunonga says he is applying for the ordersagainst
the 19 church members because of a number of
events.

He said he was supposed to have
certified Chikukwa and Nyamupingidza'selection as wardens within 14 days
after the voting on 18 August, but hadresumed duties before 25 August when
they were to be admitted into office.

"The
wardens have taken it upon themselves to subvert the
authoritydelegated by myself," he
said.

"They are acting contrary to their
duties to the detriment of thechurch in that they met with the 12
councillors on 22 August where thecouncil resolved to 'fight
Kunonga'."

He said they opened a bank
account with Standard Chartered Bank in theCathedral's name when there was
an account already operational.

Councillors and choir members were not diligently performing theirduties, he
said.

The choir, Kunonga said, refused to
provide music during the serviceon 9 June
resulting in him banning it from participating in the
church'sactivities.

The wardens and
councillors later issued an "illegal directive" to theparish to disrupt
proceedings during services, he said.

Kunonga said: "They led the congregation on 23 June into
singinguncontrollably, resulting in Father Manyau failing to conduct the
service."

Three other reverends - Leonard
Muzhingi, Wilfred Zhuwankinyu andLinos Makore - whose services had been
disturbed had also written to him, hesaid, adding that their conduct was
unacceptable and likely to cause abreach of the
peace.

He said: "Nhamo, one of the
councillors, changed the locks to the Dean's office and is keeping the keys.
He also without authority receivedseveral keys to the Cathedral and
associated buildings from Manyau who hadsince been
dismissed."

IN an unusual court development,
a Harare magistrate yesterday doubledthe amount of bail for Morgan
Tsvangirai, the MDC president, to $3
million.

Tsvangirai, Welshman Ncube, the
party's secretary-general, and RensonGasela, the MP for Gweru Rural and the
party's shadow minister ofagriculture, are facing charges of high treason
for allegedly plotting tokill President
Mugabe.

With the consent of the State and
the MDC's lawyer Innocent Chagondaof Atherstone and Cook, Harare provincial
magistrate Joyce Negonde orderedTsvangirai to pay another $1,5 million, and
Ncube and Gasela another $500000 each.

Lawrence Phiri of the Attorney General's office said the increasedbail was
as a result of the three having been given a trial date, 11November. The
three are alleged to have hired a Canadian consultancycompany, Dickens and
Madison, headed by Ari Ben-Menashe, to assassinatePresident
Mugabe.

Tsvangirai was allegedly secretly
filmed as he discussed the plot
withBen-Menashe.

Phiri told the court
the State would give Chagonda a copy of thetranscript of the
tape.

He said: "We are also making an
undertaking to make available theoriginal of the tape. Mr Chagonda will have
to go and view the original atthe CID. We have also given an undertaking to
give copies of all thewitnesses'
statements."

Representatives of
non-governmental organisations (NGOs) met in Hararelast week to discuss the
implications of proposed legislation regarded as aploy by government to
undermine their activities.

The meeting
was convened by the National Association ofNon-Governmental Organisations
(Nango).

Last month, the government
published a notice urging all privatevoluntary organisations to register
with the Ministry of Public Service,Labour and Social Welfare in terms of
Section 9 of the Private VoluntaryOrganisations Act (Chapter 12:04) or face
prosecution.

Speaking at the meeting,
Brian Kagoro, a human rights lawyer and thenational co -ordinator of the
Crisis in Zimbabwe Coalition, said: "Once you
have registered it gives the government the capacity tointerfere. Those
organisations that are seen as rebels will bede-registered. We have seen the
attempt to de-register the ZCTU and not toregister NGOs that are deemed to
be anti-government. "This is meant to
encourage you to register so that you can be
underscrutiny."

The notice issued by
the Ministry of Public Service said it is acriminal offence "to operate
without being so registered".

"Many such
bodies as are not registered urgently will have to stoptheir operations
until they have regularised their registration in terms ofSection 9," the
notice said. "Failure to adhere to the law will result inarrests being
made."

Kagoro said the government sought
to use the cover of the law to keepnon-government organisations under
control, supervision and surveillance.

Lydia Nyatsanza-Zigomo, a member of Nango legal committee, lamentedthe
"increasingly hostile legal environment" under which
non-governmentalorganisations were
operating.

IN his
maiden address to the Organisation of African Unity (OAU)summit in Addis
Ababa in 1986, President Yoweri Museveni of Uganda attackedthe continental
body for turning a blind eye to the events in his countrythat eventually led
to widespread bloodshed.

The OAU, which
even allowed Idi Amin to chair it at the height ofUganda's internal strife,
argued that it was bound by the principle ofnon-interference in the internal
affairs of its members and could
neverintervene.

Madagascar went
through a rough patch from December to last month whenDidier Ratsiraka stole
the presidential election and refused to give
way.

The OAU sent several missions to
Antananarivo, only to come up with averdict that left the country confused.
At its inaugural meeting in Durban,the African Union (AU), which replaced
the OAU, refused to recognise the newadministration in
Madagascar.

Africans fighting for
democracy know the shortcomings of the OAU, orthe AU as it now calls itself,
and will never bank on the continent for aresolution of their internal
politics. That explains the confusion at lastweek's Commonwealth summit in
Abuja.

As hopes for a peaceful resolution
to the Zimbabwe crisis fade, it isbecoming clear to civil society that
solutions to the impasse can only beworked out at home. There is a limit as
to what outsiders can do to resolvethe crisis. Out of fear, history and
insecurity, our neighbours can never berelied upon for help as shown by
their failure to push the government to seesense and resolve the
crisis.

Nigeria and South Africa, for
unexplained reasons, seem to beinterested in merely managing the crisis
rather than its resolution. Theyhave watched, in silence, the government
come up with a cocktail ofstrategies designed to weaken the population and
render it totallydefenceless.

Seven
months after the election, government officials, Cabinetministers, war
veterans and other desperadoes are still roaming around theformer
white-owned commercial farms trying to extort and scavenge whateverlittle
remains and fighting for farmhouses.

Open
political meetings remain banned and attempts to squeezeopposition urban
councils are in full swing. Civil society, regarded as thesource of
sovereignty internationally, has been emasculated to a point whereit appears
to be in a state of paralysis.

Large-scale
repression of opponents, the control of the public media,especially radio
and television, and a systematic attempt to break up thepeople's spirit,
divide families and retribution have destroyed openchannels for mounting
effective resistance and the formulation of open andsustained
criticism.

The government is fighting hard
to show a form of legitimacy byignoring the reality on the ground in the
hope that time will force peopleto resign to their fate and let life roll
on.

Commerce and industry are unable to
forecast, or even plan or dreamabout the way forward. There are fears of
random takeovers, commercialfarm-style, which has had a chilling effect on
major manufacturers, forcingthem to scale down and dispose of valuables
because of the fear of theunknown.

Pension funds, insurance companies and commercial banks are underpressure to
release billions of dollars for unclear agriculture projects,causing anxiety
and panic among depositors and the entire financial
sector.

Although the push has turned
Zimbabwe into an unfavourable zone fortourism and investment, it is never
too late for the people to claim
theirsovereignty.

What options exist
for Zimbabweans to extricate themselves from thechoking levels of tyranny
and reclaim their power and sovereignty?

Churches must begin to preach the message of justice and peace
takingadvantage of the growing religious appetite in our society. They must
takethe Word of God for what it is: the preservation of the sanctity of
life,the search for eternal happiness, morality and righteousness, the
importanceof the family, tolerance and equity on
earth.

Churches can launch a defiance
campaign to uphold the virtues of theirfolk and demand a climate conducive
for pastoral work.

Reports of pastors
being denied access to suspected MDC supporters bygovernment agents indicate
a lack of respect for the vocation of priesthood,an unsettling phenomenon
given the spiritual hunger of the people in timesof
stress.

Trade unions must realise that
their base is shrinking because ofretrenchments. The few workers still on
the job are in trouble. They can'tmake ends meet because of runaway
inflation, price rises and theunavailability of goods and services on the
open market. Unions must provide the
leadership and maintain contact with those wholose their jobs. Farm workers
are one such group crying out for support.Those still at work have new
employers whose style of repression includesintimidation and an outright
denial of wages. The so-called new farmers areso poor that they could easily
use politics to turn the farm workers intonear
slaves.

The use of rape as a weapon
against women must be taken up andchallenged. Women's groups can lead the
campaign, identifying the culpritsand making the nation aware of the dangers
posed to innocent people by thegovernment through
lawlessness.

Students, battling to make
ends meet with their meagre allowances,must work out a way of confronting
the government and contribute to thefight for a better Zimbabwe. The space
may be limited, but a lot can stillbe done to give hope to the neglected
majority. A strong freedom from hunger
campaign must be launched in the ruralareas, demanding accountability and
fairness in food distribution amonggovernment
agencies.

The campaign must involve
everybody, across political party lines, toflash out corrupt officials,
ensure transparency and stand up to thegovernment's suggested economic
models which have failed to turn around thenegativity and shapeless
character of Zanu PF. Attempts to redefine nationalvalues, through all sorts
of political games, must never be allowed to havean impact on behaviour and
tastes.

A new struggle, drawing from the
lessons of the past three years, muststart urgently to force essential
reforms. Through a tactical retreat torediscover and build key competencies
for an all-out struggle, civil societymust organise a national convention to
decide the future. A similar exercisein 1999 gave birth to the
MDC.

Unlike conflicts in other African
countries, Zimbabwe's case is wellunderstood by the outside world. A
determined internal effort to harness allforms of activism and resistance
must complement the international goodwilland solidarity with downcast
Zimbabwe.

SADC foreign and
trade ministers meeting in Angola have said they willdeliver a stern message
to Zimbabwe to resolve a political crisisthreatening investor confidence in
the region.

Luanda - Southern African ministers meeting in Angola said on
Monday theywould deliver a stern message to Zimbabwe to resolve a political
crisisthreatening investor confidence in the region.

Foreign and
trade ministers from the 14-member Southern African DevelopmentCommunity
(SADC) are holding two days of closed-door talks before theirleaders arrive
for an annual summit on Wednesday.

Zimbabwean President Robert Mugabe's
land policies and his controversialre-election in March are not on the
summit's official agenda, but someministers said they would still raise
concerns over events in Zimbabwe.

"Clearly we have to resolve the
governance issues in the region. We cannotbe punished for the mistakes of
one country - Zimbabwe," Mauritian ForeignMinister Anil Gayan told
reporters.

"We shall be asking that they shape up," Gayan
added.

SADC has previously criticised Mugabe's seizure of white-owned
farms forredistribution to landless blacks and the election which has
shatteredinvestor confidence in the region. But it has opposed
sanctions.

"Ministers will use the closed door session to tell the
Zimbabwe delegationthat it is time to end the political and economic crisis
in their country,which is having a huge influence on investment and business
in the region,"another minister, who asked not to be named,
said.

"Mugabe will not be publicly reprimanded by SADC. But there are
those in theregion who feel that the land crisis should not have been a long
anddrawn-out process and they will make this clearly known to the
Zimbabweans,"the minister added.

Food crisis

South African
President Thabo Mbeki and Nigerian President Olusegun Obasanjodashed Western
hopes for tougher action against Mugabe last week when theyblocked a bid by
Australian Prime Minister John Howard to formally suspendZimbabwe from the
Commonwealth.

The Commonwealth, which groups 54 mostly former British
colonies, hadalready partially suspended Zimbabwe in protest against the
alleged riggingof Mugabe's re-election.

Commonwealth observers and a
group of SADC parliamentarians said the votewas flawed, but observers from
South Africa, Namibia and Nigeria said thepoll was legitimate.

Mbeki
and Obasanjo insisted on waiting until the end of the one-yearsuspension
already imposed before assessing Mugabe's response and decidingwhether to
extend measures.

The ministers will also focus on the region's food
crisis due to drought,HIV/Aids and politics. 14 million in Zambia, Malawi,
Mozambique, Swaziland,Lesotho and Zimbabwe are affected.

They would
look at ways to speed up the delivery of millions of tons ofinternational
food aid, and debate genetically modified food aid rejected bysome
countries, officials said.

As some of
you know Tom was arrested again on Thursday while having a drinkwith some
friends in Mabvuku. 5 were arrested - once again no specificcharges were
given by the police. They spent that night in Braeside policestation. The
next day their lawyer (Romauldo Mavedzenge of Atherston andCook) spent the
entire day trying to see them. Braeside said they were atCentral, Central
said they'd been taken back to Mabvuku - the usualrun-around. We eventually
saw the other 4 (Cosmos and Barbabas Ndira, ReubenTichareva and Tendai
Maluzi) at 8.30 pm. They had been beaten by the police.No-one knew where Tom
was.

On Saturday we discovered that he had spent the night in Mbare cells
(theones recently reserved for former judges). We were allowed access to him
ataround 10 am on Saturday morning. We discovered that he had been in
Centralall day Friday and had been severely tortured for a period of about 4
hoursin the afternoon. He was initially beaten with all of the other guys
forabout an hour with batons, boots, fists etc.. The 4 were returned to
thecells and Tom was taken off for special treatment. He was taken to a room
inCentral and subjected to a series of about 30 - 40 electric shocks
whileblinfolded, with his hands hand-cuffed behind his back. He was beaten
on thesoles of his feet, kicked and beaten all over the body. He has
severelacerations on his tongue and mouth where he bit himself while
convulsingduring the shocks. He can not eat and has difficulty drinking. His
wristsand arms are swollen from the handcuffs which restrained his arms
behind hisback while our state agents did their patriotic duty. The soles of
his feetare so painful he has great difficulty walking. He can't use his
hands. Whenwe first saw him he was having difficulty focussing, though this
improvedtowards the end of the day. He is sore all over his body from the
kickingsand beatings.

During the course of the above - conducted in a
room apparently speciallyset aside for such activities in Central Police
Station, he was interrogatedabout the recent murder in Mbare (which took
place while we were away onholiday with Tom) and various cases of arson.
Needless to say he had nothingto say about any of these. He was also ordered
to chant Zanu PF slogans.This he also refused to do. He says he lost
ciousness several times.

At midday we arranged for a government doctor to
come to Central. He was notallowed to examine or to see Tom. We sought
permission from every departmentin the police station, none of whom would
allow access to medical treatment.Last night another (unauthorised) doctor
accompanied me to the cells duringfeeding time. He managed to see him and
has written a report to the effectthat his injuries are consistent with
Tom's description of what happened tohim.

This morning however there
was a new shift on duty and I was not permittedto see any of the group. My
fear is that they have been subjected to furtherbeatings. You might think
"they wouldn't dare" but they don't seem to care.Police brutality has
become usiness as usual. Some of the officers who Tomidentified
as having been involved in the torture ambled into the room whilethe five
were making their warned and cautioned statements. We were ofcourse unable
to establish their names. Yesterday a senior officer in Lawand Order
verbally threatened the Ndira brothers with a beating in thepresence of the
lawyer.

From 6 o'clock this morning Newton has been with the lawyers
continuing thesearch, started yesterday, to find the clerk of the court to
have the dutyhigh court judge (Justice Paradza) hear an urgent application
to have allfive medically treated immediately. Their 15 hour search for the
Clerk ofthe Court has proved fruitless. They have now given up. The duty
clerk hasgone to church, has no contact telephone and will be unavailable
until theend of the day. There is no mechanism to facilitate an urgent
applicationin Zimbabwe.

If we ever get before a judge, even if the
application fails, at least theinjuries and the conduct of the police will
be on public record. Tom and hisco-accused are due to appear in court
tomorrow, charged finally lateyesterday afternoon under POSA with "Public
Violence". This is apparently inconnection with an incident that happened in
Mabvuku 10 days ago when thecitizenry of that fine suburb chased away an
allegedly drunk policeman whohad harrassed people and had then fired his
police pistol 8 times in theair. The crowd of about 300 people - Ambuyas and
children mostly - ran theconstable out of the area. Tom and the others are
accused of inciting thisaction.

The 4 other friends have not been as
severely tortured as Tom but werenevertheless beaten. Physically Tom is a
mess but his spirit remainsunbroken.

Many thanks to all of you who
have phoned and helped. Please circulate thisto anyone you feel should know
about the conduct of the police. Rememberthis is not just about Tom and
friends - there are so many similar cases wehardly take notice any more.
Can't we resurrect the notion that the policeare not allowed to behave like
this. This is just my child's story. Thereare thousands more.

Edwina
Spicer (Toms mother).30th September 2002

Postscript: The 5 were given
bail today of Z$10 000 each. They are inhospital receiving
treatment.

TORTURE VICTIMS FINALLY RELEASED, TAKEN TO DOCTORFive young
Zimbabwean opposition activists who were allegedly assaulted andtortured in
police custody at the weekend, were granted bail and released
onMonday.

Tom Spicer (18) an official in the youth wing of the
opposition Movement forDemocratic Change, had to be supported by two
colleagues holding his elbowswhen he emerged from the cells of the Harare
Magistrate's Court on Monday.

Also on Monday, lawyers and relatives of
MDC MP Roy Bennett (44) said he andhis bodyguard had disappeared after being
arrested on Sunday at Chimanimaniin south-east Zimbabwe.

They were
removed early on Monday from the police station in the touristvillage of
Chimanimani. Police refused to state where he was.

"Roy and Mike Magaza
(his bodyguard) are still missing," said a relative whoasked not to be
named.

"Police are playing hide-the-prisoner again. They could be in any
policestation within a radius of100km from here."

Lawyers had
travelled to several police stations and magistrates' courts inthe district
during the day, "but they are getting nowhere," said
therelative.

Bennett was arrested at a roadblock for allegedly
failing to leave his farm,Charleswood, after receiving an eviction order
under President RobertMugabe's campaign to seize white-owned land.

He
had the eviction order set aside by the high court on the grounds thatthe
farm's official status as an "export processing zone" -- where he growsand
processes crops for export -? legally exempts it from confiscation.

Both
Bennett and Spicer have been subjected to harassment over the past twoyears
because of their support of the MDC.

Spicer's arrest on Thursday last
week -- on allegations of publicviolence -- was the 11th time police have
arrested him in two years.

Nine of the cases have been brought to court
and all of them have beendismissed by magistrates.

The youth's lawyer
and his parents, Newton and Edwina Spicer, internationaltelevision
documentary producers, said he had been tortured on Friday byeight men who
caned the soles of his feet, subjected him to electric shocksand beat and
kicked him all over his body -- concentrating on his kidneys.

The other
four, Barnabas Ndira, Cosmas Ndira, Tendai Mlauzi and ReubenTichareva, also
MDC activists, were subjected to the same treatment, exceptfor the electric
shocks.

Newton Spicer said police had tried to attach the electrodes of
thegenerator to Tom's testicles, but, although his wrists were
handcuffedbehind his back, he had managed to fight his assailants
off.

They eventually shocked him by clipping the electrodes to his ear
instead,said Newton Spicer. All five were taken for medical examinations
immediatelyafter they each paid bail of ZD10 000(about R1
100).

"Send me the
cameras and let them film me whilst I cut my calves'throats! What can I do?
I have got 499 quality cows and heifers busycalving and the politicians are
forcing me off my farm! Now we have Footand Mouth disease (FMD) in the area
so the cattle sale has beencancelled and our only way out is to slaughter
our breeding herd - ifthe abattoirs have the market! Already 125 have
dropped calves."

These were the words of one of the country's foremost
cattlemen,desperate to save his herd, which has taken 37 years to build up
to thepresent exceptional genetic quality. He has been severely beaten
andthreatened. His father has been severely threatened and beaten, as
wellas his mother and many members of his most loyal staff. Like many
hefully understands both the economic implications, extent
andrepercussions of what the loss of the commercial beef herd means
toZimbabwe.

Although only 20% of the national beef herd the
commercial herd supplies90% of the beef exports (for which CSC is
strategically equipped andeconomically reliant upon) and 60% of beef for
local consumption.

With the present political strategy it is impossible
to see how theveterinarians will ever be able to convince EU or other
foreign buyersthat there is effective FMD control in Zimbabwe. As the
barometer of FMDcontrol, the disease control rules of the Save Conservancy
have beenblatantly flouted, and disregarded. With the destruction of
theextensive perimeter fence and illegal movement of the communal
cattle,which are regularly mixing and drinking with Buffalo, FMD has now
brokenout in communal areas on either side of the conservancy.

With
the political land campaign, the new farmers are, also transportingcattle
and livestock from these dangerous areas, all over the country.

It has
been reported that nearly 40,000 head of cattle from the BeitBridge Communal
Lands have been unleashed onto the commercial farmsduring the last month.
The dry Beit Bridge area is well known for itslarge cattle population, as
this is the only type of farming this harshenvironment
allows.

However, with the political land campaign the politicians have
long beencoveting the developed cattle and wildlife ranches in the
commercialsector. It is hard country with very little underground water. A
lot ofthe water found is low yielding and totally unhygienic and unpalatable
-almost like seawater! With the low unreliable rainfall it is
alsoessential that the grazing be only used at a rate of one livestock
unitper 15ha.

Because of the communal areas' location being so close
to threeinternational borders and the Kruger National Park, the
VeterinaryDepartment classifies them as a Red (vaccinated) FMD zone. At
thebeginning of the political land campaign the commercial farms in
theNorth, which were then in the Green Zone (surveillance), ranches
weresomewhat protected by the veterinary zone as far as the invasion
ofcommunal cattle was concerned.

There has also been an FMD outbreak
festering in the communal lands formonths so ranchers fought the illegal
movements with court orders andany means at their disposal. This obviously
annoyed many of the morefanatical politicians and civil servants who have
finally forced theseinfective cattle onto the ranches to destroy the limited
grazing andwater resources.

The inevitable has happened, and FMD has
finally broken out in theranches' remaining cattle.

With the pending
drought and past experience they had opposed the use ofFMD vaccine, which is
said merely to mask the infection, but limitstheir cattle's movement to
grazing (in the event of the drought) out oftheir new zone (Red). They also
realised the other implication of thevaccinations was that the Red Zone
communal cattle would be "allowed" toswamp their farms - which is exactly
what has happened now.

Will the "new farmers'" cattle face the same
punitive and politicalrestrictions as those of the commercial farmer? Can
they not be movedonto foreign owned land, which is protected by
international bilateralagreements? Who is protecting our herds and our
Zimbabwean citizens?Where should these productive herds be moved to
now?

In fact why should commercial cattle be moved off their owner's
farmswhen they are so blatantly being used as a political tool? The herd
hasalready shrunk by over 60% nationally.

Early returns Monday night showed
that President Robert Mugabe's rulingZanu-PF party was winning most seats in
the weekend local governmentelections marred by violence and intimidation of
the opposition, officialssaid.

Movement for Democratic Change
officials said ruling party militants hadkilled one of the opposition
party's supporters in Hurungwe and another onehad been hit with an axe in
Bindura and was unlikely to survive.

MDC officials said their party had
won in only six of about 50 wards countedat the time of going to
press.

Counting had not even started in other provinces last night, but
oppositionofficials said they held no hope of faring any better because of
theviolence which forced them to field candidates in only 700 of the 1 400
pluswards.

State media reports said Zanu-PF was headed for a
"landslide victory", butMDC dismissed the whole election as a "big
joke".

"This was not an election. They used intimidation, torture and
blackmailagainst our supporters," said MDC spokesman Paul Themba Nyathi last
night.

Scores of MDC candidates in the rural district councils were
forced towithdraw their candidatures on pains of having their villages burnt
down.

The MDC said its polling agents were beaten and chased away from
pollingstations in Masvingo and Mashonaland provinces.

"For anyone to
claim a victory in such a sham election is the height ofinsanity," said
Nyathi.

Violence has
become a tool of the government of Robert Mugabe tosilence its opponents and
maintain its grip on power. South Africa, with itsenormous economic and
political importance in the region, is in a uniqueposition to influence
Robert Mugabe.

Amnesty International
strongly condemns state-sponsored violence ,torture, arrests and
intimidation of opposition cadidates and supportersduring country-wide local
council elections held on 28 and 29
September.

"Once again, government
authorities have failed to ensure thatelections take place in a climate free
from harassment and intimidation. Allallegations of human rights violations,
including torture, againstopposition Movement for Democratic change (MDC)
officials and supportersduring the local elections must be effectively
investigated" AmnestyInternational
said.

Several MDC supporters were
reportedly assaulted prior to and duringpolling. For
example:

· Mike Magwaza, Roy Bennet and
Stewart Girvan were arrested on 29September. Roy Bennet is the MDC MP for
Chimanimani and Mike Magwaza is hisbodyguard. Mike Magwaza and Stewart
Girvan, a South African friend of RoyBennet's, have reportedly been beaten
while in police custody. All three arepresently being held at Chipinge
police station, Manicaland province. Theywere initially denied access to
their lawyer Arnold Tsunga.

On 30
September, Arnold Tsunga filed an application with the ChipingeMagistrate's
Court asking the police to produce all three detainees. MikeMagwaza, Roy
Bennet and Stewart Girvan have reportedly been charged underthe Electoral
Act for allegedly taking photographs within 100 metres of apolling station.
Roy Bennet has also reportedly been charged under Section 8of the Land
Acquisition Act for allegedly refusing to vacate his
farm.

· Tendai Maluzi, Cosmos and Barbabas
Ndira, Tom Spicer and ReubenTichareva were arrested on 27 September and
charged under the Public Orderand Security Act with public violence
allegedly in connection with anincident that took place in the Harare suburb
of Mabvuku the week before.All five were reportedly beaten and tortured
while in police custody. TomSpicer reportedly suffered electric shock
torture and was beaten on thesoles of his feet. All five are MDC youth
members. They were released on 30September and have been remanded out of
custody until 23 October.

· In Gutu and
Bikita districts of Masvingo province, the homesteads ofseveral MDC
candidates and supporters were reportedly burned down during theelection
weekend. In Masvingo North, a polling agent was reportedly beaten.Thus far,
no arrests have been made in connection with these
attacks.

Zimbabwe's Electoral
Supervisory Commission confirmed that the localelections were marred by
violence. Few independent election observers wereable to monitor the
elections due to accreditation only being granted at thelast minute. It was
reported that irregularities, such as the late arrivalof ballot boxes,
occurred in several wards.

"The outcome of
the Commonwealth troika's meeting last week in Nigeriais yet another
disappointment for victims of human rights violations inZimbabwe. The
leaders whom President Mugabe might listen to - other AfricanHeads of State
- should push for an end to further violations. This week'sSADC Summit must
not be another missed opportunity" the organization
said.

Background

The run-up to the local
elections was also marred by violence andirregularities. Approximately 700
MDC candidates were prevented fromregistering or contesting the elections
largely in response to threats,intimidation and violence, but also as a
result of irregularities in thenomination
procedures.

On 27 September, the day
before the elections were to start, an MDCpetition to the High Court to
nullify the election nomination process,citing widespread intimidation and
assaults of their candidates andirregularities in nomination procedures, was
dismissed.

Beleaguered Zimbabwean businessman Billy Rautenbach, wanted by SA authorities
for fraud and corruption involving R100m, won a high court order on Friday to
have his assets returned. Despite the court's judgment, it is still unclear
whether Rautenbach is entitled to get his property back from the Asset
Forfeiture Unit. According to the unit's head, Willie Hofmeyr, the unit would
appeal against the judgment. At present the assets were still under restraint,
he said. Lawyers for Rautenbach and the unit are due to do battle in court again
today on the matter. Hofmeyr said the assets were valued at R40m. The criminal
probe into Rautenbach's alleged customs fraud and theft charges was almost
complete. A warrant for Rautenbach's arrest was outstanding, and officials were
preparing to extradite him from Zimbabwe. Hofmeyr said it was believed that
Rautenbach was living in Harare.

In September 2000 Rautenbach's assets were seized in terms of the provisions
of the Prevention of Organised Crime Act. Among the assets were a Falcon 10
private jet, a Bell helicopter, a house and six flats in Sandton, a Cape wine
farm and a farm in KwaZulu-Natal. He was charged initially with fraud. However,
the charges were subsequently changed to contravening the Customs and Excise
Act. The charges relate to his Wheels of Africa company. Rautenbach lost
numerous attempts in the past to retrieve his assets from the authorities. His
lawyer, Nicoleen Fourie, said yesterday there were no charges on which the state
could extradite Rautenbach. "All grounds had been resolved by the judge's
findings," said Fourie. Rautenbach said he was "relieved that the justice system
was still in place in SA". He said the Asset Forfeiture Unit had embarked on a
"political assassination" of his character in the past three years. "They had
still not come up with anything on which to proceed against me." He did not
believe the unit would have a "leg to stand on" if it appealed against Friday's
judgment.

Wheels of Africa was liquidated in December 1999 after a string of raids on
the holding company by the directorate for serious economic offences. The
directorate had arrested five people in connection with the case. The head of
customs in Mpumalanga and Limpopo, Dolf Harmse, was the first to be convicted as
a result of the probe. Harmse was convicted in the in March last year of
corruption for receiving two Hyundai vehicles from Rautenbach in exchange for a
"favour", which in effect saved Rautenbach R300 000.